Tip of My Iceberg

His name is Barry, and he has somewhat of an obsession.

It has to do with socks.

He doesn’t search his surroundings for them, but if he chances upon a sock, it’s as if he’s discovered a lost puppy that must be protected at all costs. His focus becomes consuming. It’s such an overwhelming thing for him that he forgets to eat, and he panics if he can’t see it. He owns that sock in a very human way.

Stress in a tiny dog isn’t fun. If the sock is taken from him, it takes him time to settle down and decompress. He belongs to my sister-in-law, who has very adult conversations with him. She actually wrote a poem about his issues:

“My Shih Tzu loves a sock, and guards it with ferocity, then cries from fear it will be taken. Rejecting sockless freedom, he owns the pain of ownership.”

My sister-in-law is a very wise woman. She sees in her dog the challenge he has in holding possessions too dearly.

Barry shines a mirror on the reality of how many of us choose to deal with possessions.

We all struggle with having things that we can’t seem to do without. Possessions can grab hold of us, holding us captive to things without any return. Too often, when we have some, we only want more. And when we have more, we’re worried it might be taken from us.

Our possessions don’t define us. Our character does.

Jesus told the story of a man who was quite rich, with fertile fields that produced abundant crops. But he felt his barns were too small to store all his harvest. As he pondered, he came up with a solution.

“I know! I’ll tear down my barns and build bigger ones. Then I’ll have room enough to store all my wheat and other goods. And I’ll sit back and say to myself, ‘My friend, you have enough stored away for years to come. Now take it easy! Eat, drink, and be merry!’ But God said to him, ‘You fool! You will die this very night. Then who will get everything you worked for?” Luke 12:18-20

Jesus went on to explain that we are so much more than what we have. He pointed to the beauty of flowers and how they never need to worry about what to wear. The birds of the sky don’t worry about what they’ll eat, but God provides them plenty of food. If he cares for flowers and birds so much, won’t He provide for us what we NEED? He already knows what we need, and He loves us generously. Fear of not having enough of what we want or believe we need dominates the thoughts of people everywhere. God’s solution?

“Seek the Kingdom of God above all else, and He will give you everything you need.” Luke 12:31.

Barry focuses on his sock because, in his mind, he needs it, even though he can’t explain why. We often believe we must have certain things, even though we’re not sure why–maybe it’s just because someone else has it.

Seeking God in His wisdom, enjoying His presence, provides us with our sufficiency in Him. No need to fear what we have or don’t have. Being satisfied with what we’re given is a gift in itself.

No puppy stress required.